With Mantoux, you cannot eat all foods that are classified as hyperallergenic (strawberries, chocolate, citrus fruits). Even if the child has not previously had an inadequate reaction to any food, it is not worth the risk - false positive results lead to re-vaccination and registration with a TB specialist.
Sweets, chips, fast food and even dairy products should be excluded for three days after Mantoux, the doctor must take reliable results.
What children should not eat with mantou: list
With Mantoux, children should not eat foods that, even theoretically, can provoke an allergic reaction; there is a whole list of them:
- any types of nuts;
- seafood, including shrimp, crabs;
- strawberry;
- citrus;
- kiwi;
- dill and parsley;
- corn and rice;
- beans and soybeans;
- cereals;
- wheat and millet porridge;
- whole milk;
- any fermented milk products;
- chocolate and cocoa;
- fish and dishes made from it, including light broths;
- any exotic fruits such as pomelo, carom, mango;
- chicken and poultry broth;
- red skinned apples;
- bananas;
- Red caviar;
- sugar and any sweets;
- industrial sauces, including mayonnaise, ketchup;
- honey;
- sweet carbonated drinks;
- mushrooms;
- fat meat;
- smoked and overly salted foods;
- pickled vegetables/fruits;
- semi-finished products;
- fast food.
When using Mantoux, you should not eat spices or herbs—your child’s meals should be prepared without them. In general, pediatricians recommend feeding the child with familiar foods and dishes for a week from the moment the test is performed, and not introducing new ones.
Composition of the tuberculin test
Already from the name it follows that the Mantoux test contains tuberculin. This virus is weakened, so harm from it is unlikely. But there are other components that can cause unpleasant consequences. Among them:
- Buffer solution (phosphate). More precisely, its salts. They weaken and inhibit the tuberculosis virus. Harm is possible due to intolerance to the substance;
- sodium chloride, also known as saline solution;
- twin-80. This is a stabilizer, and it increases the level of estrogen: female sex hormones. Does the child’s body need it? Hardly. Its harm is that if it accumulates in the body, then there may be an imbalance in the hormonal sphere: puberty will begin earlier, sexual function will increase in women, and on the contrary, it will decrease in men;
- phenol. This is the one that causes the most concern. It is not only a preservative, but also a most dangerous cellular poison. It is so toxic that the damage spreads to all cells of the body. An overdose of phenol can cause convulsions, disruption of the heart and kidneys, etc. In a tuberculosis test, its dosage is tiny, but the question is whether phenol accumulates in our body, because tests for tuberculosis are done annually. Phenol also negatively affects the immune system.
Is it possible to eat before mantou
A child can eat before Mantoux; even a large meal is allowed immediately before going to the clinic.
But pediatricians warn that within 2-3 days you need to remove potential allergens from your diet, limit your consumption of sweets and maintain portion sizes, avoiding overeating. The fact is that even familiar foods to which the body previously reacted adequately, in large quantities, can provoke a decrease in immunity and mild allergies. And this often becomes the reason for obtaining false results.
Young patients (under 1 year of age) should not be introduced to the menu with new foods a week before the test. It will take time for the body to adapt to them, which will negatively affect the Mantoux reaction.
We recommend reading about what an alternative to Mantoux may be for children. From the article you will learn about when you need an alternative to Mantoux, the advantages and disadvantages of Diaskintest, T-spot analysis, PCR, and quantiferon test. And here is more information about how many days after Mantoux is checked.
Can I have something sweet?
Regarding whether children can eat sweets before and after vaccination, the opinions of pediatricians differ: some argue that restrictions are meaningless if the baby does not suffer from allergies to such products, others recommend refusing to give them 3 days before and the same amount after. baby sweets, sweet juices, desserts. Moreover, this recommendation applies even to those children whose bodies react normally to such treats.
For clarification, you should ask your attending pediatrician. He will place or lift restrictions on an individual basis.
Can I eat chips?
Chips cannot be eaten either before the test is taken (3 days before), or on the day of vaccination, or after it until the results are checked by a doctor. This product contains a large number of spices, chemical preservatives, and flavoring additives of synthetic origin. They are on the list of prohibited products; they can cause allergies, and as a result, the doctor will not be able to clarify the body’s reaction to Mantoux.
Is it possible to drink
You can and should drink at any time, but we are talking only about clean water, weak tea, compotes/fruit drinks from berries/fruits that do not cause allergies and are not on the list of prohibited drinks.
Cocoa, sweet carbonated drinks, fruit and vegetable juices are prohibited.
Watch this video about what to feed a child over 1 year old with food allergies:
Why you should exclude certain foods
There is a generally accepted opinion that diet has no effect on the size of the Mantoux button in a child. It can increase in the presence of immunity to Koch's bacillus (the causative agent of tuberculosis) and nothing more. However, this is a misconception.
In fact, the increase in inflammation occurs due to the presence of an allergy to the product or to the auxiliary substance of the reaction - phenol.
The diet for the duration of the reaction (3-4 days) is limited for the following purposes:
- reduce the risk of allergies, which are expressed in the form of fever, loss of appetite, weakness and dizziness;
- make the reaction result as accurate as possible so that you don’t have to do Mantoux again.
If a child takes a large number of irritating foods before vaccination (chocolate, citrus fruits, some types of vegetables, fast food), the body becomes more prone to allergic reactions.
And when taking a new product, a previously unknown allergy may suddenly become apparent, which will affect the “button”.
If a child, contrary to recommendations, consumes foods that cause allergies, this can lead to a serious increase in the papule, scratching and the need for a repeat procedure.
What not to eat after mantou
After Mantoux, you cannot eat foods from the above list, and it is better to create a menu for a child based on the diet of a kindergarten or school lunches. Products should be rich in vitamins and beneficial microelements, because in the post-vaccination period the body needs external support to strengthen the immune system. You can enter into the menu:
- rabbit meat;
- casseroles from pumpkin, cottage cheese, pasta and vegetables;
- soups made with vegetable broths without adding cereals or frying;
- any poultry meat, but chicken is excluded;
- dried fruit compotes;
- dried apricots, prunes, dates;
- vegetable stews, fresh vegetable salads.
Hypoallergenic diet menu
If the child has no history of allergies to milk and fermented milk products, then they are also allowed to be included in the menu, but in minimal quantities and without added sugar.
Other restrictions after vaccination
While undergoing a preventive or therapeutic course of Kokav injections, it is necessary to observe some other restrictions, in addition to drinking alcohol:
rabies vaccine Kokav is incompatible with drugs from the categories of immunosuppressants and glucocorticosteroids; Simultaneous vaccination against rabies (Kokav vaccine) and against brucellosis is prohibited
A 30-day interval must be maintained between these two injections; directly during the immunization period, as well as for six months after it, it is necessary to take various medicinal tinctures with extreme caution, as well as consume sweets and confectionery products that contain alcohol; Vaccination is permissible only in clinical settings. Any attempts at self-medication in this case can be deadly; the optimal storage temperature for the vaccine (lyophilisate and solvent) is from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius; The diluted solution of the Kokav vaccine cannot be stored.
What happens if you eat sweets while eating mantu?
It is believed that nothing bad will happen if you eat sweets during Mantoux, but doctors say that it is possible to get a false positive result, and this entails:
- repeating the test;
- registration with a phthisiatrician;
- visiting doctors to prove the absence of tuberculosis in the family.
False-positive reaction after a Mantoux test When
consuming sweets with Mantoux, a child may experience frequent sneezing, profuse lacrimation, itching of the skin, and redness.
How much should you not drink after vaccination?
A preventive rabies vaccination limits alcohol consumption for 2 weeks. Treatment after a bite lasts for several months.
Many people get preventive vaccinations - both at their own request and when necessary: when traveling, working with animals, before traveling to wild areas and regions. During preventive vaccination, a killed virus is introduced into the human body, but the body begins to produce antibodies to the disease.
Anti-rabies serums for the treatment of rabies after a bite are a much more serious, strong and dangerous thing. A total of 6 injections are given: on the day of treatment, on 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90 days after the bite. All injections must be done on schedule, otherwise there will be no guarantee.
Of course, some people drink something after the first, some after the second or third rabies vaccination. Here you need to understand that vaccination itself does not guarantee a cure - there is still a chance of death. Although it accounts for 1 percent or less of cases, the immune system may not be able to fight off a lethal viral infection of the brain.
It is critically important to give up alcohol for at least these 90 days. According to other data, drinking alcohol can be dangerous even within 9 months after the last vaccination, that is, a year in total from the moment of the bite and the start of treatment
There is another unpleasant consequence - many vaccines themselves are not entirely safe and can cause symptoms such as nausea, headache, vomiting, malaise and others. These symptoms occur in 5-40% of patients, depending on the vaccine and relationship with alcohol. Since the symptoms are largely similar to those that cause alcoholism and alcohol toxicosis, it becomes unclear whether the symptom is safe from the point of view of vaccination and is caused by alcohol, or whether immediate medical attention is required.
How long does the ban last?
The ban is valid for only 3 days after vaccination; the doctor must receive and evaluate the results, after which the child can be returned to their usual diet. Pediatricians recommend not to overload the baby’s stomach for another 10-15 days and not to introduce new foods into the diet. The risk of allergies during this period is minimal, but overeating and poor diet can lead to problems in the digestive system.
We recommend reading about the age at which Mantu is made. From the article you will learn about how often the Mantoux test is done in kindergarten and school, the test schedule, and alternative diagnostic methods in older age. And here is more information about the dangers of large papules after the Mantoux test.
The Mantoux diet is the key to obtaining reliable test results and maintaining the child’s well-being and activity. The restrictions are not strict, the menu will not become monotonous, but the child will tolerate the procedure normally.
Is it possible to eat before the test?
The Mantoux test has nothing to do with a blood test, so you can eat before taking it. But at the same time, care must be taken to ensure that food products do not cause allergic manifestations and do not provoke an exacerbation of chronic somatic diseases.
Tuberculin tests are performed only on healthy children. Any deviation from the norm may be an indication for a delay in diagnosing tuberculosis using this method. The child's body is unpredictable in food reactions. Therefore, you should not give your child food that is new to him or her before testing. They can cause digestive upset, fever, skin rashes and other undesirable reactions. Before Mantoux you should eat only proven food that does not cause allergies.
